TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates to batteries, and more particularly, to a cover assembly,
a battery, and a battery pack.
BACKGROUND
[0002] In the related art, a cover assembly of an existing battery generally has a lower
annular vertical surface that does not provide a guiding effect as the cover assembly
enters into a housing of the battery.
[0003] However, there is a high requirement for a concentricity of the cover and the housing
of the battery. Further, when the cover assembly is assembled with the housing, the
arrangement of the vertical surface causes the housing to be susceptible to damage
due to collision with the cover assembly, resulting in encapsulation defect.
SUMMARY
[0004] The present disclosure provides a cover assembly, a battery, and a battery pack,
which can solve the damage of the housing due to the collision with the cover assembly.
[0005] According to a first aspect, the present disclosure provides a cover assembly, including
a cover and an insulating member including a connecting portion and a guide portion.
The connecting portion is mounted to the cover body, the guide portion is provided
in an annular shape and connected to a side of the connecting portion away from the
cover body in a first direction, and the guide portion is provided with a cavity and
includes a guide surface away from the cavity. The guide surface is an inclined surface.
An orthographic projection of the guide surface in the first direction falls entirely
within the connecting portion.
[0006] According to a second aspect, the present disclosure provides a battery including
the cover assembly according to the first aspect.
[0007] According to a third aspect, the present disclosure provides a battery pack including
the battery according to the second aspect.
ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS
[0008] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the guide surface is provided
on the guiding portion, so that when the cover body of the battery is mounted to a
housing, the insulating member located on a side of the cover body close to the housing
in the first direction X first enters the housing. At this time, an interval may be
formed between the guide surface with the inclined surface and the housing, so that
the guide portion does not damage the housing when entering the housing. In addition,
when the guide portion enters the housing, the cover body and the housing are kept
in alignment with each other, so as to avoid damage caused by collision between the
cover body and the housing, and to improve the closing between the cover body and
the housing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009]
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a cover assembly according to some embodiments
of the present disclosure.
FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an insulating member according to some
embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged schematic diagram at region A in FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an insulating member according to some embodiments
of the present disclosure.
List of reference numerals:
[0010] 1000. Cover assembly; 100. Insulating member; 200. Cover body; 1. Connecting portion;
2. Guide portion; 3. Cavity; 21. Guide surface; 22. First surface; 23. Abutment surface;
4. Groove; 5. Via hole; 6. Pressure relief hole.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0011] In the description of the present disclosure, unless otherwise expressly defined
and specified, the terms such as "couple", "connect", and "fix" are to be understood
in a broad sense, for example, as a fixed connection, a detachable connection, an
integrated unit, a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, a direct connection,
an indirect connection by an intermediating medium, an internal communication between
two elements, or interaction between two elements. For those of ordinary skill in
the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present disclosure may be
understood as appropriate.
[0012] In the present application, unless otherwise expressly defined and specified, the
phrases, such as a first feature "above" or "below" a second feature, mean the first
feature in direct contact with the second feature, or the first feature in indirect
contact with the second feature by another feature(s) therebetween. In addition, the
phrases, such as the first feature "above", "on" or "over" the second feature, mean
the first feature being directly or obliquely above the second feature, or the first
feature being located at a level higher than the second feature, and the phrases,
such as the first feature "below", "under" or "beneath" the second feature, mean the
first feature being directly or obliquely below the second feature, or the first feature
being located at a level lower than the second feature.
[0013] In the description of embodiments, the terms, such as "up", "down", "left", "right",
"front", "back", or other ones indicating orientations or positional relationships,
are based on those shown in the accompanying drawings for the purpose of facilitating
the description and simplifying the operation, and are not intended to indicate or
imply that the devices or elements referred to must be provided at a special orientation,
or constructed or operated with a special orientation. Thus, those terms are not to
be construed as a limitation to the present disclosure. Furthermore, the terms "first"
and "second" are used to distinguish similar features and do not imply that these
features are in a particular order or sequence.
[0014] The present disclosure provides an insulating member. FIGs. 1 to 4 show an insulating
member according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, in which the X direction
is a first direction. The following descriptions are based on the first direction
X.
[0015] Referring to FIGs. 1 to 4, the present disclosure provides a cover assembly 1000,
including a cover body 200 and an insulating member 100. The insulating member 100
includes a connecting portion 1 and a guide portion 2. The connecting portion 1 is
mounted on the cover body 200 of a battery. The guide portion 2 is provided in an
annular shape and is connected to a side of the connecting portion 1 away from the
cover body 200 in the first direction X. The guide portion 2 has a cavity 3 and a
guide surface 21 away from the cavity 3. The guide surface 21 is of an inclined surface.
An orthographic projection of the guide surface 21 in the first direction X falls
within the connecting portion 1.
[0016] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, when the cover body 200 of the battery
is mounted to a housing, the insulating member 100 located on a side of the cover
body 200 close to the housing in the first direction X first enters the housing through
the guide surface 21 of the guide portion 2. At this time, an interval may be formed
between the guide surface 21 with the inclined surface and the housing, so that the
guide portion 2 does not damage the housing when entering the housing. In addition,
when the guide portion 2 enters the housing, the cover body 200 and the housing are
kept in alignment with each other, so as to avoid damage caused by collision between
the cover body 200 and the housing, and to improve the closing between the cover body
200 and the housing.
[0017] It is to be understood that after assembly of the cover body on the battery, the
cavity 3 of the insulating member 100 can provide a space for accommodating the components
of the battery, such as the tabs and busbars. In the present embodiment, the guide
portion 2 is provided in an annular shape, and surrounds together with the connecting
portion 1 the components such as the tabs and busbars, so that the components such
as the tabs and busbars are spaced apart from the housing and the cover body 200 of
the battery, thereby avoiding the risk of point discharge between the components such
as the tabs and busbars and the housing or the cover body 200 of the battery.
[0018] A groove 4 is disposed on a side of the connecting portion 1 close to the cover body
200 in the first direction X. The groove 4 is provided in an annular shape. The groove
4 is disposed at a position corresponding to the guide portion 2 in the first direction
X, that is, the groove 4 is provided in the first direction X opposite to the guide
portion 2. When the cover body 200 is mounted on the housing of the battery, the guide
portion 2 abuts against a battery cell in the housing of the battery. At this time,
the groove 4 can provide a deformation space for the guide portion 2, so that the
guide portion 2 does not expand toward the housing of the battery due to the pressing
between the battery cell and the cover body 200 of the battery, thereby preventing
the guide portion 2 from pressing the housing of the battery to eliminate welding
defects, while preventing the insulating member 100, when being weld around the cover
body 200, from thermally expanding and pressing a welding position between the housing
and the cover body 200 of the battery.
[0019] The specific position of the guide portion 2 and the groove 4 on the connecting portion
1 is not limited, as long as the groove 4 is provided opposite to the guide portion
2 in the first direction X, so that the groove 4 can provide a deformation space for
the guide portion 2. Therefore, the groove 4 and the guide portion 2 may be provided
at a position close to a middle portion of the connecting portion 1 or close to a
peripheral edge of the connecting portion 1. In some embodiments of the present disclosure,
both the guide portion 2 and the groove 4 are provided at a position close to the
peripheral edge of the connecting portion 1, so that the volume range of the cavity
3 can be increased while the groove 4 provides a deformation space for the guide portion
2.
[0020] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the guide portion 2 and the groove
4 are disposed at the peripheral position of the connecting portion 1.
[0021] The shape of the groove 4 is not limited herein. For example, the groove 4 includes
a right-angled groove, an arc-shaped groove, a special-shaped groove, or the like.
In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the groove 4 is an arc-shaped groove.
When the guide portion 2 deforms, the wall of an arc-shaped groove 4 is less prone
to cracking than a right-angled groove 4 during the shrinking of the insulating member
100.
[0022] Referring to FIG. 3, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the groove 4
is an arc-shaped groove. A distance from the arc-shaped wall of the groove 4 to a
center B is D, satisfying 0.3 mm≤D≤0.5 mm. The distance D may be a linear distance
from the wall of the part of the groove 4 to a plane where the center of the groove
4 is located, or a distance from the wall of the groove 4 to a certain point of the
center of the groove 4.
[0023] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the distance from all points on the
wall of the groove 4 to the center B is equal to D. That is, D is a radius of the
arc-shaped groove 4. If D is less than 0.3 mm, the size of the groove 4 is too small
to accommodate the extrusion deformation amount of the insulating member 100, resulting
in the pressing on the housing of the battery and welding defects; and if D is greater
than 0.5 mm, the size of the groove 4 is too large, resulting in the structure strength
of the insulating member 100 to be insufficient.
[0024] A height of the guide portion 2 in the first direction X is H, satisfying 1.8mm≤H≤2.5mm.
It is to be understood that the height H of the guide portion 2 in the first direction
X is related to the size of the cavity 3 formed by the guide portion 2. In the present
embodiments, the height H ranges from 1.8mm to 2.5 mm, which can provide an air chamber
space for the insulating member 100. If H is greater than 2.5 mm, it is disadvantageous
to increase the capacity of the battery; and if H is less than 1.8 mm, an overflow
phenomenon may occur during liquid injection into the battery.
[0025] In addition, a configuration in which the guide portion 2 is provided in an annular
shape and includes the guide surface 21, and the orthographic projection of the guide
surface 21 in the first direction X completely falls within the connecting portion
1 can be understood as a configuration in which the guide portion 2 is provided in
a gradual contraction manner toward a direction away from the connecting portion 1
in the first direction X, so that the guide portion 2 has a guiding function when
the cover body 200 is mounted on the battery housing.
[0026] An outer circumferential diameter of a side of the guide portion 2 close to the cover
body 200 in the first direction X is L1, an outer circumferential diameter of another
side of the guide portion 2 away from the cover body 200 in the first direction X
is L2, and an angle between the guide surface 21 and the first direction X is A, in
which L1, L2, H and A satisfy:

. Here, the angle A between the guide surface 21 and the first direction X can be
determined by the values of L1, L2 and H.
[0027] Moreover, the length L1 is designed in relation to the outer diameter of the cover
body 200 of the battery, and can be calculated by determining a single-side gap between
the insulating member 100 and the cover body 200. The length L1 is the outer circumferential
diameter of the side of the guide portion 2 close to the cover body 200 in the first
direction X, and also the outer circumferential diameter of the insulating member
100.
[0028] Here, the outer diameter of the cover body 200 is D1, the single-side gap between
the insulating member 100 and the cover body 200 is d1, a concentricity of the insulating
member 100 and the cover body 200 in the assembly process is g1, and a deformation
variable of the outer diameter of the insulating member 100 is g2 after the cover
body 200 and the housing are assembled, and the single-side gap value tolerance calculated
by the root mean square is g3 based on the outer diameter tolerance of the insulating
member 100 and the cover body 200, in which g1 satisfies 0≤g1≤0.5mm, g2 satisfies
0≤g2≤0.2mm, and g3 satisfies 0≤g3≤0.1mm. Furthermore, the single-side gap d1=g1+g2+g3,
L1=D1-2d1.
[0029] Referring to FIGs. 2 to 3, the guide portion 2 further includes a first surface 22
that surrounds the cavity 3, and an abutment surface 23 that is spaced from the connection
portion 1 in the first direction X. The abutment surface 23 is connected to the first
surface 22 and the guide surface 21. The abutment surface 23 of the guide portion
2 is designed to provide a larger contact area between the insulating member 100 and
the battery cell, compared to an end that is disposed on a side of the guide portion
2 away from the connection portion 1 in the first direction and abuts the battery
cell. Therefore, the abutment surface 23 not only achieves a good fixing effect, but
also reduces the pressure between the insulating member 100 and the battery cell,
thereby avoiding damage to the battery cell.
[0030] A distance between the joint of the abutment surface 23 and the first surface 22
and the joint of the abutment surface 23 and the guide surface 21 is L, satisfying
0.5mm≤L≤0.8mm. If L is less than 0.5 mm, the area of the abutment surface 23 is too
small, causing excessive pressure of the insulating member 100 to the battery cell
during assembly, so that the battery cell is easily damaged. If L is greater than
0.8 mm, the requirements for accuracy of the assembly between the busbars and the
insulating member 100 is increased, thereby increasing the risk of assembly failure.
[0031] It is to be understood that the insulating member 100 also includes a via hole 5
through which the battery posts pass and a pressure relief hole 6 for communicating
with a pressure relief valve on the cover body 200.
[0032] Referring to FIG. 1, the present disclosure also provides a battery including the
cover assembly 1000 as described above. The battery includes all the technical solutions
in the above embodiments, and thus can achieve at least the advantages brought out
by the technical solutions in the above embodiments. Details are not repeated herein.
[0033] The present disclosure also provides a battery pack including the battery as described
above. The battery pack includes all the technical solutions in the above embodiments,
and thus can achieve at least the advantages brought out by the technical solutions
in the above embodiments. Details are not repeated herein.
1. A cover assembly comprising:
a cover body (200); and
an insulating member (100) comprising a connecting portion (1) and a guide portion
(2),
wherein the connecting portion (1) is mounted to the cover body (200), the guide portion
(2) is provided in an annular shape and connected to a side of the connecting portion
(1) away from the cover body (200) in a first direction, and the guide portion (2)
comprises a cavity (3) and a guide surface (21) away from the cavity (3), wherein
the guide surface (21) is an inclined surface, and
wherein an orthographic projection of the guide surface (21) in the first direction
falls entirely within the connecting portion (1).
2. The cover assembly according to claim 1, wherein a groove (4) is disposed on a side
of the connecting portion (1) close to the cover body (200) in the first direction,
wherein the groove (4) is disposed corresponding to the guide portion (2) in the first
direction.
3. The cover assembly according to claim 2, wherein the guide portion (2) and the groove
(4) are each disposed close to a periphery of the connecting portion (1).
4. The cover assembly according to claim 2, wherein the groove (4) is set as a right-angle
groove, an arc-shaped groove or a special-shaped groove.
5. The cover assembly according to claim 4, wherein when the groove (4) is the arc-shaped
groove, a radius D of the arc-shaped groove satisfies 0.3 mm ≤ D ≤ 0.5 mm.
6. The cover assembly according to claim 1, wherein a height of the guide portion (2)
in the first direction is H and H satisfies
7. The cover assembly according to claim 6, wherein an outer circumferential diameter
of a side of the guide portion (2) close to the cover body (200) in the first direction
is L1, an outer circumferential diameter of another side of the guide portion (2)
away from the cover body (200) in the first direction is L2, and an angle between
the guide surface (21) and the first direction is A, in which L1, L2, H, and A satisfy:
8. The cover assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the guide portion
(2) further comprises a first surface (22) surrounding the cavity (3), and an abutment
surface (23) spaced apart from the connection portion in the first direction; and
wherein the abutment surface (23) connects the first surface (22) and the guide surface
(21).
9. The cover assembly according to claim 8, wherein a distance between a joint of the
abutment surface (23) and the first surface (22) and a joint of the abutment surface
(23) and the guide surface (21) is L, wherein L satisfies 0.5 mm≤L≤0.8 mm.
10. The cover assembly according to claim 1, wherein the insulating member (100) comprises
a via hole (5) for a battery post to pass through, and a pressure relief hole (6)
for communicating with a pressure relief valve of the cover body (200).
11. A battery comprising the cover assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 10.
12. A battery pack comprising the battery according to claim 11.